Fortaleza will have direct sea route to Cape Verde

Mon, Aug, 20, 12
Posted by : daniel.neves

The Brazilian state of Ceará by the end of the year is expected to have a direct sea route to Cape Verde, thus substantially reducing the time it takes for cargo ships to reach the archipelago, which currently stands at 35 to 40 days, Brazilian newspaper Diário do Nordeste reported.

The newspaper added that this reduced travel time would mean that companies could start exporting perishable goods to Cape Verde, which imports a lot of goods from Ceará.

During a meeting held Friday in Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, at the Federation of Industries of the State of Ceará (Fiec) headquarters, Roberto Marinho, the executive secretary of the state’s Foreign Trade Commission, spoke about business opportunities and potential from exporting products from northeastern Brazil to the African continent.

According to Marinho, exports from Ceará are about to experience a positive impact, given that the aim of the direct sea route is to reduce travel time of cargo ships to Cape Verde to between five and six days.

Currently cargo that leaves the port of Mucuripe for Cape Verde takes over a month to reach its destinations due to stop offs at other ports, as from Ceará it travels to Sao Paulo and is later sent on to the canary Islands, and only then is it shipped to Africa.

Another important factor in setting up a direct sea route to Cape Verde is the reduced cost of shipping given that cargo sometimes, instead of being sent in a container, in which 20 tons costs a maximum of US$1,500, it is sent by airplane, which costs US$1.2 per kilo.

For the direct shipping route to become a reality, Cape Verde will have to provide facilities to receive cargo ships from Ceará, which are expected to be ready by October when the launch date for the shipping route will be announced. (source: macauhub)